


Unexpected Christmas

by Arisandotherthings



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: Christmas, Cliche, Domestic Fluff, Don't Take This Too Seriously, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Idiots in Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28217547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arisandotherthings/pseuds/Arisandotherthings
Summary: Christmas holidays are finally here, and Archie is ready to go back to his family. However, it looks like Arceus has other plans for him, because his boarding gets cancelled and suddenly he has nowhere to go.There's only one person Archie can ask for help. Let's just hope he won't slam the door in his face.
Relationships: Aogiri | Archie/Matsubusa | Maxie
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	1. The Arrival

Archie looked at the display for the fourth time in five minutes and sighed. The orange writing told him that his boarding had been postponed again for bad weather, and that he had to wait another hour at least.

He slouched more on his seat. Axel, his Mightyena, that he had called out to keep him some company in the meantime, looked at him. He flattened his ears and whined at the clear unhappines of his trainer. Archie smiled weakly and gave him a couple of pats on the head.

He had been there for hours, waiting for the ship to raise anchor. But obviously, just when he was about to go to visit his family for Christmas holidays, the end of the world had decided to start. He looked outside, his expression darkening with every passing minute. The blizzard was still raging, bending trees and shaking cars. The day before, the forecast had assured that it would be nothing to worry about, but Archie didn't know how much he could trust them.

His phone was dead, so he didn't have anything to do while he waited. Axel seemed to have decided that it was better to sleep than to give him any kind of attention.

But it was fine. As long as he could still board, everything would be fine.

And, as the Murphy's Law stated, Archie fould himself in his car an hour and a half later, with his boarding cancelled and nowhere to go. He couldn't go back to his apartment, because he had decided to rent it out. He couldn't ask for help to Matt or Shelly either, since they had taken off to visit their families a couple of days before. And certainly he didn't have the money for a hotel room for two weeks. He had hoped he could take another ship the next days, but the forecast wasn't promising at all, at least regarding the sailing. He could always try to catch a plane but... he'd really rather avoid that.

He resisted the urge to slam his head on the steering wheel, and tried to think about other options. Well, he could... no, he would never accept. On the other hand, though, he didn't really have a choice, so he convinced himself to try the impossible.

When he woke up that morning, Maxie knew something was off. He didn't know what, he didn't know if anything in particular would even happen, but something didn't sit right with him. There were days, sometimes, when he would wake up with a strange feeling, and it would never end well. So it was normal if he was a little on edge that morning.

He had gotten up and fed his pokemon, that that day had to stay inside because of the bad weather. His living room wasn't even that big, so it was pretty hard to maneuver with a Mightyena and a Camerupt around. Thankfully Lamia, the Crobat, had settled herself to hang down from the ceiling. Ruining the paint, but at least she wasn't on the way. And Taal, the Camerupt, had a particular liking on napping the whole day. So, in the end, the problem was just the Mightyena.

"Kiki, please, get off!" he said, trying to get from the counter to the table without dropping his plate, which was particularly hard with a Mightyena constantly jumping on him. "You have already eaten. And you know you can't come in the kitchen," A rule that none of his pokemon followed anyway.

Finally managing to sit on the table, he started eating, all with Kiki watching him with pleading eyes. Maxie just tried not to look at her. He couldn't keep giving her half of his meal, it wasn't healthy. Just about when Kiki looked ready to jump on the table and take the food herself, the doorbell rang.

Maxie grumbled. _Of course I can't have a paceful day_.

He walked to the door, hoping that he would get over with the annoyance quickly, and opened it, finding Archie on the other side. Maxie closed the door.

"Max! Come on man, it's cold out here!"

He pretended not to hear any of that and went to sit on the couch. It didn't work, though, because the doorbell imediately started ringing again. And again. And it didn't seem like it was going to stop any soon. To make things worse, Lamia started hissing, clearly annoyed by the sound, and even Taal opened an eye, bothered.

Irritated, Maxie went to the door and opened it again. "What do you want?" he asked harshly.

Archie took his finger off the doorbell and smiled. It looked like his normal, obnoxious smile, but something was different. It looked somewhat... tense?

"Max, my friend. How are you?" he said, opening his arms as if he was expecting a hug. Maxie raised an eyebrow. Archie then avoided his eyes and brought a hand behind his neck. "I- uhm. I need to ask you something."

He didn't seem about to say anything more, so Maxie just stepped aside. "Move, the cold is coming inside," and with a little more hopeful expression on his face, Archie stepped inside the house and let Maxie close the door behind him.

He looked around, taking off his coat and his shoes, while Maxie went in the kitchen to tidy up the things he had left behind. He found his plate emptier than he remembered, and shot a glare to Kiki, that was laying on a corner of the room. She just wagged her tail.

He then joined his new guest, who had settled on the couch. He was petting Lamia, that had come down from the ceiling and was now chirping gleefully. Despite their not-so-great relationship, his pokemon seemed to like Archie. Except for Taal, but that was just because the man was too loud for him.

Maxie stopped in the middle of the room and crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation. Archie, however, seemed not to notice him. Or better, had decided to ignore him.

"Well?" Maxie finally decided to ask.

Archie looked at him. "What?" he feigned ignorance.

"Why are you here?" Maxie snapped, now starting to lose his patience.

Archie raised his arms at that. "Woah, there. No need to be so aggressive."

"Archie I swear..."

"Okay, okay," he finally said, seemingly ready to say why on Earth would he be there. He evaded his eyes once again and assumed an almost guilty expression. "Well, you know how it's almost Christmas, right? That time of the year when everyone is nicer and-"

"Get to the point."

"I need a place to stay," he blurted out.

Maxie looked at him with the eyebrows raised, the slow realization of what Archie was about to ask him finally dawning on him. But there were still other options left- maybe he just needed to call someone and his phone had died.

But Archie decided to destroy even that last hope. "So... I was wondering if maybe you could... let me stay here for two weeks?" The last part was said so quickly that Maxie had troubles even understanding it. But he did. And he didn't like it.

"You're really asking to stay with _me_ for two weeks? Two weeks!?"

"Hey, don't flatter yourself now. You really think I would have asked you if I had a choice?"

Maxie opened his mouth, just to close it right after. Archie had a point. Still, he didn't see why he should just let him stay for so long.

"Also, if you don't let me stay I'll stick to the doorbell until you say yes."

Ah, there's why.

Setting his few belongings in the guest room, Archie looked around. All in all, it was a nice room, although pretty bare: a bed, a wardrobe, a desk. And a lot less red that he had imagined.

To be honest, Archie was surprised with how easily he had managed to convince Maxie to let him stay. Sure, he had to threaten to annoy him to death first, but he had thought that it would take him a couple of hours to convince him. At least. But to be fair, their relationship wasn't _that_ terrible. Sure, they liked to annoy and poke at each other, but it wasn't like they were mortal enemies or anything. Even if Maxie seemed to take everything he said or did personally.

When he went back to the living room, he found Maxie seated at the table near the kitchen door, typing away on his laptop. Spike, his Crobat, had joined Maxie's on the ceiling, while Axel was napping beside Kiki. He had to find a place where to release his Sharpedo, Esior. He couldn't keep him in his pokeball all the time, and Maxie didn't own a fish tank. Obviously.

He sat on the couch again, relaxing in the quiet atmosphere. Until he started getting bored. Which was, a couple of minutes later. He didn't feel like turning on the tv, because Maxie was probably working, and he didn't want to get yelled at. Besides, there was never anything good anyway. There was a piano under one of the windows, which surprised him. He never pictured Maxie as someone with a passion for music.

He was still thinking about how to kill time, when Maxie spoke up. "So, care to explain how are you suddenly homeless?"

Archie jumped slightly, not expecting it. "Mh? Oh, nothing extraordinary. My boarding got cancelled for the bad weather and I have rented my apartment for two weeks," he saw Maxie frown at that last part. "And I can't ask Matt or Shelly because they actually managed to get to their families - that's why I had to take the ship."

Maxie nodded. "Did you alredy tell them you're not going?"

"Yeah, I called them as soon as I knew."

"Good. Good."

A couple of minutes passed in silence.

"So... what are you doing there?" asked Archie motioning at the computer.

"Nothing much. I just have to finish a couple of things for work."

More silence. Archie passed a hand through his hair awkwardly, unsure on what to say. Or whether to say anything at all. To be fair, they weren't used to have a civil conversation. Usually, they would throw snarky remarks at each other, hoping to set the other off. But, being stuck in a house together for fourteen days, it probably wasn't the best idea. Archie wondered if they would be able to last all that time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. English isn't my first language, so if there are any mistakes feel free to tell me.


	2. Decorations

A couple of days had passed and nothing really exciting had happened. Mostly, it was just Maxie working and Archie killing the time any way he could. To be honest, Archie was surprised by the lack of arguments between them. Sure, they still bickered, but that was just the least to be expected from them, and he had expected much worse from living together. But honestly, it was nice. During luch and dinner they would even talk like civil people.

It was a quiet afternoon. Maxie was reading a book - some boring stuff abour rocks, probably - and Archie was playing with the Mightyenas, when he had suddenly realized it.

"Max, where are your decorations?"

Maxie had looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "What decorations?"

"Exactly!" Archie had motioned around him. "Christmas is in two days and you have nothing done. Where is the tree? The lights? You know, typical Christmas stuff."

"I don't have them," he had simply said. Then, seeing that Archie was looking at him as if he had just offended his ancestors, he had shrugged. "I like Halloween better."

So, it was his fault if Archie was in his car, at six in the evening, stuck in the traffic.

For him, Christmas has always been one of the best holidays; his entire family would get together, and they would exchange gifts and food, and overall have a great time. That year, things had to be different, but that didn't mean that Archie wouldn't at least get to enjoy some of the Christmas atmosphere.

That was why, right after his conversation with Maxie, he had taken his car and had driven all the way to his apartment. Luckily, the couple that had rented it recognised him, so he didn't have problems. 

But of course, not everything could go right. On his way back home, snow had started to fall heavily, so he had been stuck in the traffic for two hours.

When he finally got back to Maxie's house, he rang the doorbell.

The door was opened almost immediately, and Maxie started talking before he could say anything. "Where the hell have you been!? It's been hours and you left you phone here. I thought you were dead!"

Overdramatic as always, but was that worry on his face? Tired as he was, Archie just shoved the box he was holding in Maxie's hands. "Here, take this inside. I have two more in the car."

When he finally brought the last box inside - with a bit of effort given the two Mightyenas jumping on him - he let himself crumble on the couch, fully aware of Maxie's glare fixed on him. He sheepishly glanced at him, fully expecting a scolding, but Maxie just looked at him with the arms folded against his chest.

"What? I was stuck in the traffic, haven't you seen what's the weather outside? Geez, it's not like you're my mother anyway."

Maxie rolled his eyes and moved to the window to glance outside. "Can I at least know what's up with the boxes?"

At that, Archie found his usual vitality again. "Well, after our conversation, I have decided to fix your faults," he opened one of the boxes, revealing a fake tree inside it.

Maxie stayed silent for a couple of seconds. "Archie, why did you bring a tree inside my house?"

"For decorations, silly. Now, help me assemble it, we'll be faster if we work together."

"Wh- no! Listen, it's fine if you want to decorate or whatever, but I don't see why I should help you."

"Aw, where's your Christmas spirit, Max?" Archie pushed a Santa hat on Maxie's head, ignoring his glare. "Come on, if you help me, I'll offer you dinner."

But Maxie still tried to resist. "I really don't feel like going out with this weather."

"We'll order take away, then. Outside isn't as bad as earlier, there shouldn't be any problem."

If Archie knew something about him, was that food was a great weapon to use against Maxie. And to confirm that theory, he saw Maxie's look become interested.

"... fine."

They had spent a couple of hours decorating the tree and the room. Since Archie lived in an apartment, he didn't have enough decorations for a whole house, so they limited to the living room, much to Maxie's relief. The atmosphere had been light the whole time. The decorations finally gave the house a more festive look and the heat that Taal was giving off made the room even more cozy.

"Finally, we're done," Maxie checked his watch. "And in time for dinner as well. Wonderful, I'm going to choose which restaurant you will spend your money on," he said, with way too much glee in his voice.

Archie laughed lightly from his place on the couch. Surely Maxie wouldn't settle for the cheapest item on the menu, and the decorations weren't as good as he hoped (they had disagreed on every single thing), but it was worth it.

At first, Archie had thought that asking to his maybe-rival-but-not-really for help was a bad idea. Well, he still thought that, but things came out better than anticipated. Sure, they fought, but that was to be expected. But overall things were... nice. Really nice.

They delivery boy arrived after forty-five minutes. Archie wasn't surprised, given the weather that, even if not as bad as that afternoon, was still terrible. He made sure to give him a huge tip as an apology.

When he went back to the living room, he found Maxie switching through the channels with a bored look on his face. "They never do anything good in this time of the year," he said, reaching out a hand to Archie, motioning to pass him his part of dinner.

"Are we eating on the couch?" asked Archie, sitting beside him. "I didn't think the Great Maxie was the type to do such barbaric things."

"You're so funny," Maxie commented dryly. "I'm looking for something good to watch, but all I can find are those stupid Christmas romcoms."

"I like them."

"Of course you do."

Archie stole the remote from the other's hand and settled for a random channel, not even aknowledging much Maxie's protests. "Mmhm... oh, I've seen this one! She starts dating a mannequin that transforms into a real guy, but at the end it's revealed that it was all a dream because at the beginning of the movie she was, like, hit on the head with a brick or something."

"That's... an interesting synopsis, but I'm sure we can find something else."

They spent thirty minutes switching between channels, trying to find something that both of them would like.

"Archie, I'm not watching 'The Grinch'. It's a childrens' movie!"

"It's a classic! And I refuse to watch... whatever that is," he waved at the tv, where the 'Krampus' was playing.

"You've never even seen it, how can you say it's bad?"

"I didn't say it's bad, I just don't want to watch horror on Christmas."

"Alright, alright," Maxie fetched back the remote. "We're not going anywhere. Let's just switch to a random channel and watch whatever we'll get."

The 'whatever' was a romcom about a woman getting lost and hurt in the woods, and rescued by a lumberjack with whoms she would have to stay until the arrival of the reascue. The first half of the movie just showed the two character bickering. Oddly familiar, but Archie decided not to think about it too much.

"This is incredibly stupid," was Maxie's comment. "How is that even possible? They can't hate each other at the beginning and then fall in love in the span of two hours."

"You're really expecting realistic character growth in a Christmas romcom, Max? If so, I have some bad news for you," laughed Archie.

"I'm not saying that. Just... I'd like to watch something without straining my eyes from rolling them too much."

Despite Maxie's complaints, they kept watching.

"Oh, of course. The independent business woman and the man that will make her rediscover the magic of Christmas. How cliché can it be."

Archie just chuckled, fully aware that answering back would lead to nothing.

"Besides," Maxie kept going. "What are the odds that two characters with completely opposite personalities actually fall in love."

"Heh, you know what they say. Opposites attract."

They exchanged a glance, and few seconds passed in silence. Then, Maxie cleared his throat. "Well, I believe it's time to call it a night. I'll go to bed now."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll, uh- I'll tidy up here and I'll go too," Archie motioned to the empty food boxes.

Maxie tipped his head and vanished in the hallway.

Archie sighed. Well, that was... something. It did happen before, that they would end up too close to each other - maybe even during an argument - or that they would catch the other staring. While Archie had no issue with realtionships, and definitely wasn't a shy guy, with Maxie he had always felt on edge. Not in a negative way, though.

 _It's just weird, really weird_ , he concluded, raising from the couch and collecting the boxes. He headed to the kitchen to throw them away, and decided to check if Maxie had any alcohol around. Maybe it wouldn't clear up the situation, but it would certainly do a grand job with keeping his mind off of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, yes, the movie about the mannequin-guy and the one about the lumberjack in the woods exist and yes, I did see them.  
> They were... not good.


	3. Christmas Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!

When he woke up on Christmas day, Archie immediately felt something was off. Then, he remembered that he wasn't staying with his family, and that wasn't his room either. Usually, one of his little cousins would wake him jumping on the bed, demanding that he woke up so that they could open the presents.

He picked up his phone to check the time: 10 a.m. With a bit of effort, he rised from the bed, still tired even after a whole night of sleep.

He went to the kitchen, where he found Maxie already there. The man merely glanced at him before going back to wash the dishes in the sink. "You finally woke up."

Archie grumbled something intelligible and took a seat at the table. Immediately, Maxie's Mightyena was at his feet.

"Go away, Kiki. There's no food for you," said her trainer. Archie gave her a consolatory pat on the head and she went back to the living room, ears down with disappointment.

Then, a plate was set before Archie. There were scrambled eggs and bacon, slightly burned. Unsure, he glanced at Maxie, who just went back to his task. "You better eat before they get completely cold."

Archie followed the advice, still surprised by the unexpectedly nice gesture. The eggs were too salted and the bacon was, well, burned, but he didn't feel like complaining.

After he was done eating, and after Maxie retrieved the plate to wash it, Archie leaned back on the chair, now more awake. "Well, what are we doing today?"

Maxie shrugged. "I didn't really have anything in mind. I don't know what you usually do, but I'd like to have a quiet day."

Archie got up and slapped a hand on Maxie's back. "Don't worry, I'll think of something!"

When he went back to the living room, he noticed something different: there were presents under the tree. He moved closer to see better. There were a handful of small packages, all wrapped up in a nice cream wrapping paper. There were names on them; Kiki, Esior, Lamia, Archie- wait.

He shot a glance to the kitchen and quickly grabbed the present. He turned it over in his hands, wondering what it could be. Did Maxie really buy him a gift? That was... extremely out of character of him. But then again, maybe it was Christmas magic, or whatever was happening that day.

Then, Archie started to panic. He didn't have anything to give him. Did Maxie put it under the tree in a way to tell him that he had to buy one too? Or did he do it just now because he knew Archie wouldn't have the possibility to buy one himself, making him look like a fool!? What kind of sick power move-

"What do you think you're doing?"

Archie jumped and spun around, finding two green eyes staring menacingly at him. _Caught red handed_.

"Nothing," Archie tried to smile his way out, hiding the gift behind his back. Obviously, it didn't work.

Maxie pointed a finger at him. "Put that down. Now," he said, as if he was talking to a particularly troublesome child. Archie pouted and did as ordered.

Seeing that Maxie was about to leave the room, Archie grabbed his arm. "Wait- Max. Ahem-" Maxie rose an eyebrow at him and titled his head to the side, waiting for him to speak. "I... I din't think we were going to exchange gifts. I didn't buy anything," he admitted. Better be honest right away, right?

To his surprise, Maxie laughed lightly, and freed his arm. "You don't need to worry about that. I have already thought about everything," he pointed at the tree. Looking better, Archie could see that among the packages, there was a small, rectangular box with Maxie's name on it.

He turned to the other man. "Did you really buy a present for yourself?" he asked even if, honestly, it wasn't that surprising considering who he was speaking to.

Maxie just shrugged. "I just didn't want you to make a poor figure," he put his hands behind his back and leaned in. "You're welcome," and finally exited the room.

Archie just looked at him, shaking his head and a faint smile on his face.

The rest of the day was just Archie asking if they could open the presents and Maxie dealing with the overgrown child he ended up living with.

"I told you, Archie, after dinner we will open them."

"But Max, you're supposed to open the gifts on Christmas morning, not Christmas evening."

"Bullshit."

"Max!"

In the end, he caved in.

It was early afternoon when they sat on the floor (Archie insisted on that). The started from the ones for their pokemon. They were all chew toys and treats; nothing much, really, but they seemed to really appreciate them. Archie put some aside for his Sharpedo. Since Maxie didn't have a tank or anyhting similar, Archie had found a lake nearby, where he would go every day bringing along the Mightyenas, and sometimes even the Crobats. Maxie admired his determination, really, since not even a blizzard seemed to stop him. Then again, probably he would have done the same for Taal. He was looking at the Camerupt, that was currently chewing happily on his new toy, when something was shoved in his hands.

He looked down and found the gift directed to him. Archie was already messing with his, trying to understand what it was.

"It would be easier if you opened it, you know?"

Archie waved a hand at Maxie's tease. "Yeah, yeah."

He finally ripped off the wrapping paper, not caring about being delicate, and stared at his gift. "Are those... bandanas?"

"Nice deductive skills."

"Hush," Archie was looking through the stack of bandanas he was just gifted with. "They're really nice."

He sounded sincere. Maxie shrugged, embarassed. "It's not much. A couple of days ago I was buying groceries and when I saw them, I was immediately reminded of your... dubious fashion choices." Actually, at first Maxie had seen a beautiful necklace, a simple silvery anchor on a string. He had thought about giving that to Archie instead, but it would have been too much too soon. So he had settled with bandanas.

Luckily, Archie seemed to like them. Under the warm light of the sun that was filtering through the window, he was smiling softly, still looking at his gift. In the silence of the room, surrounded by wrapping paper and pokemon, it was a paceful picture. Then Archie looked at him and smiled more boardly, tying one of the bandanas on his head. "It's your turn now. C'mon, I'm curious."

Maxie shook his head a little and opened his present. "I wonder what it will be," he muttered sarcastic.

From the little rectangulare box, Maxie took out a stone. It was flat, purple on the inner part and fading to pink towards the sides. The edge was brown and irregular, but still smooth. Maxie held it on the palm of his hand and showed it to Archie. "It's called 'agate'," he said. "It's really appreciated for jewerly, but thanks to its hardness it's also used in industry, in the production of mortars or textile chains."

Archie chuckled. "Of course you would choose a rock, you nerd," he took the stone from Maxie's hand.

"Well, I didn't have one in my collection."

"Of course," Archie repeated, turning it in his hands. "And why did you choose this one?"

Always happy to talk about his major interest, Maxie answered. "It's actually one of my favourites. You see, it's translucent, so when you put it against the light like this..." he grabbed the hand Archie was holding the agate with. He turned it so that the flat part of the stone was facing them and brought it against the sunlight. It looked like the centre of the stone illuminated with its own light, while the edges were darkened by the shadow.

"Wow, it's really pretty. Who knew that rocks could be interesting."

Maxie rolled his eyes, but didn't move. His hand was still on Archie's, and their bodies were so close that their sides were touching. It felt nice, like that. Archie was a natural heater, which was good since Maxie was able to be cold even on a summer day.

He retrieved his new stone, but still stayed where he was. If Archie noticed, he wasn't complaining. Instead, he stretched an arm on the couch behind them, resting it just above Maxie's shoulders.

"So..." Archie started, looking away. "What are our plans for the rest of the day?"

"Is this how you spend your Christmas? Getting wasted on eggnog?" asked Archie, feeling lightheaded himself.

"Mmhm... not wasted. Just a little tipsy," Maxie abandoned his head against the couch behind him.

They were on the same places of hours earlier. The sun had set for awhile now, and they had already cleaned up and had dinner, so there was nothing else left to do other than spend their Christmas night as any responsible adult would: drinking.

"Where did you even find these? I thought that stores didn't sell alcoholic eggnog anymore."

Maxie smiled slyly and brought his glass to his lips. "I know this woman, Clarice. She lives at the end of the road. She and I have... an agreement. I bake her cookies and she gives me alcoholic eggnog on Christmas."

Archie burst out laughing. "Did you find yourself a pusher, Max?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he muttered. It was clear that he couldn't stand alcohol as much as Archie, but he wasn't completely drunk either. "And what about you? What would you have done if you weren't stuck with me?"

Archie let his gaze wander around the room, thinking about his family. He did call them that morning, and it seemed like they were fine. His mother wouldn't stop telling him how much she missed him, while his father made him promise to visit as soon as possible. The usual. "My family reunites every year for Christmas. We eat together, open gifts, all that stuff. There's always a lot of noise, but I don't mind," he shrugged, smiling. "It's family."

"Must be nice," whispered Maxie, staring at the wall in front of him.

"What about you, why aren't you celebrating with yours?"

Maxie sighed, tapping his fingers on the side of the glass. "My brother and my mother do meet up, but they live far away from here and the trip just isn't worth it."

"And your father?"

"He passed when I was nineteen."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

Maxie just shrugged, unbothered. "We weren't really close," he closed his eyes, and after a pause he added. "I remember that when we were younger, my brother and I had this challenge where we would have to make each other the worst Christmas present we could imagine. Once he gave me a Singing Magikarp. You know, those Magikarp toys that you hang on a wall and sing. Needless to say he won that year."

Archie laughed, relieved that they already left the tense atmosphere behind. "I remember. My grandma had one. It would scare me to death when I was a little scamp."

This time, Maxie laughed with him.

When their laughters faded, Archie looked at him. "Thank you for letting me stay here. I would probably be freezing my ass out there."

Maxie returned his gaze, the smile slowly fading from his face. He looked at him for a moment too long, and a little too intensely. "It's fine. You're not as bothersome as I feared."

But maybe it was just the alcohol, and Archie was imagining things. He sighed and bumped his glass against Maxie's head. "Likewise, buddy."


	4. The Piano

Three days after Christmas, Archie woke up earlier than usual. He stayed in bed a couple of minutes before finding the energy to get up.

Stretching, he went in the kitchen for breakfast, but it looked like Maxie had other plans.

"Watcha doing there, Max?" Archie asked, startling him.

Maxie jumped and looked up from the book he was reading. Archie moved closer to peek; it was a recipe book, opened on the page about chocolate chip cookies.

"Are we making cookies? Nice."

"Well, I still have to pay Clarice," Maxie gestured towards the cupboard. "Pass me a bowl, please."

Archie complied and they worked in silence for a while. Since Christmas, Archie felt weirdly cheerful. He was surprised by how well they got along during that day. Before the holidays, they couldn't talk without lashing out to each other. It was a welcomed change. It made Archie think that probably they could be friends, even after the holidays.

Probably Maxie felt that too, because he had almost completely abandoned his computer, and spent more time with him and the pokemon. They would both sit on the floor, Archie leaning against the couch and Maxie cuddled up with Taal, and they would watch the dumbest movies they could find, trying to guess what would happen (and mostly failing).

Yes, they could probably be friends even after that, if they tried. And maybe...

"Stop making them all different sizes."

Archie looked down on what he was doing. He was putting down the cookie batter on the parchment paper. With a spoon he would scoop it out of the bowl, and then he would put it down with a finger.

"Eh, what's the matter. They'll all taste the same anyway."

Maxie pursued his lips and waved a spoon at him. "Maybe, but I like to make things the decent way. And I told you to use another spoon instead of your finger, it's disgusting!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

That afternoon, Archie was alone in the house. Maxie was out for groceries, the pokemon were napping, and he was bored out of his mind. He tried to watch tv, but all they did was Christmas rom coms and, after a month of only that, he was honestly getting tired. All Maxie had on the shelves were boring books, so those were out too. After a bit more of sulking, Archie glanced at the piano.

For the entire time he was there, Maxie had never touched or even mentioned it. Archie had started wondering if he actually knew how to play it or if it was there just as a decoration. Knowing Maxie, it wasn't impossible.

Almost without thinking, he got up and sat at the stool of the instrument. He pressed some of the keys, frowning at how the sounds clashed with each other.

"Dear Arceus, you're really terrible," Maxie's voice mocked him. He turned around, and found his friend staring at him. He didn't even hear the front door opening.

"Well, it's not like I have ever practiced, you know," He stood up. "In fact, I had never even touched a piano before today."

"I could tell," Maxie went to the kitched to put away the groceries, and Archie followed closely behind, not done yet.

Maxie was moving quickly in the room, opening and closing cabinets. Archie observed him for a while, before deciding to help him. He took the two bottles of Moomoo milk and brought them to the fridge. "You know, you could always teach me."

"What?" Maxie folded the shopping bag and stored it in a drawer.

"The piano, I mean. I didn't know you could play an instrument."

"Ah, that," he shrugged. "I play sometimes in my free time."

"How long have you been practicing?"

Maxie thought a couple of seconds. "Twenty years? Something like that. I remember I was still in high school when I started."

Archie almost dropped the chocolate bars he was holding. "Twenty years? You say it like it's nothing."

"Well, it's really just an hobby, I'm no professional."

"That doesn't mean anything," Archie grabbed him by the shoulders and took him to the piano. "C'mon, show me what you can do."

"What- wait," but Archie had already taken a chair from the table and dragged it beside the stool. He looked over at Maxie, just waiting. Maxie sighed. "You're really impossible sometimes."

Archie just waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah. 'You're so annoying, Archie', 'I can't believe I let you stay here, Archie', 'You're lucky you're so cute, Archie'," he mocked in a high pitched voice.

Maxie's face went bright red. "I never said that! And my voice doesn't sound like that!"

"You just play something."

Maxie shot him a glare and recollected himself. "Fine," he reached towards the shelf near the piano and took out a binder. He gave it to Archie. "Choose one."

Archie scrolled through it for a while, not really paying attention to the names of the songs. Then he closed it and returned it to its owner. "Play me your favourite one."

Maxie looked surprised by the request and slowly opened the binder. He seemed to know which one to choose already, because he turned the pages quickly, stopping near the end. He took out a score. The edges were ruined, and the sheet itself was almost yellow. It had to be really old.

Maxie set it on the music stand and placed his fingers on the keys. He looked at the score for a couple of seconds more, already focused. Then he started playing.

It started simple but quick. It was a joyous rythm, a lot less pretentious than he expected. It was more complex now, and Archie almost couldn't follow Maxie's fingers as they flied on the keyboard. So he decided to focus on his face. As focused as he was, it was clear that Maxie was enjoying himself, if the serene expression gave away anything.

Before finding himself in that bizarre situation, Archie couldn't have guessed a lot of things. That Maxie baked cookies in exchange for alcohol, or that he loved music, for example. And as weird as it might sound, Archie was happy to be stuck there of all places.

Before he knew it, the song was over, but he was still staring at Maxie, who was smiling proudly. He turned towards him and caught him staring.

"That was really good," Archie murmured.

Maxie shrugged. "I told you, I've been playing for many years."

It was odd; Maxie was a very proud man, he usually basked in compliments. Now, though, he looked almost embarassed. He wouldn't look at him in the eyes, and he was scratching on a key, as if to remove an invisible stain.

"It was still impressive," Archie remarked, inching closer.

Finally Maxie decided to look at him. He was a little flushed, but he still had a decisive look on his face. "You know, I've never played for anyone before."

"Really? I'm honored then."

They were close, their lips were a breath away from each other. Then...

Then a loud bark rang in the room, making them jump. They turned around, Archie still feeling his heart puond heavily. The two Mightyenas were growling at each other, fighting over one of the new toys they had received. Axel had a paw firmly pressed on it, but Kiki looked like she was going to attack anytime now.

"Hey, stop it you two!" Maxie got up from his seat and went to break up the fight.

Archie sighed, leaning back on the chair. _Goodbye magical moment_.

But he wouldn't give up. _Wait that Maxie calms down the pokemon and we will get back where we were interrupted. No worries_.

With the toy in his hand, Maxie glanced at him, but immediately diverted his gaze, pointing it to the Crobats. "Uhm, I should probably feed them. It's getting late and maybe they're acting up because they're hungry. Yes, it's probably that, I'll go now," and he disappeared in the kitchen.

 _Or maybe not_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did tag this as cliché, yes?


	5. New Year's Eve

Those last few days, the atmosphere had been quite tense. Awkward, even.

Maxie had always considered himself as a pragmatic man. If there was a problem, he was quick to think about a possible solution. That was why he was feeling so lost in that moment.

Archie disoriented him.

The man had always been an open book, never afraid to show his emotions or what he thought. For the longest time he had found this trait annoying, but lately he had started to appreciate it more. To appreciate him more. He had found himself doing things unlikely for him, such as preparing breakfast (" _There is some bacon in excess, might as well_ ") or playing the piano (" _a song won't hurt_ ") for someone else.

That last thing was the one that surprised him most. He had rarely ever played for someone; it was a really private thing for him. However, when Archie asked him, he couldn't find any reason why he shouldn't. After all, Archie was one of the people who knew him better, despite their previously rocky relationship.

And then, there had been that moment after the song. Archie had almost kissed him- because that's what was happening, right? One of the reasons Maxie had been avoiding Archie was that; what if he had misunderstood? The situation was pretty clear, but if somehow it wasn't what he thought, it would have been mortifying. Maxie wouldn't be able to look at him in the eyes anymore.

So he just kept distances. Archie did try to get things back to normal - if not their new normal, at least the one they had always been used to - but Maxie would always find a way to slip away. He would say he had to pick up some things from the store, just to come back empty handed. Or work had suddenly become overwhelming, so he had to focus on that.

He was sure that Archie didn't believe any of that. However, he left him the space he needed and never tried to force himself on him. And for that, Maxie was grateful.

For now, he was safe. But he knew he couldn't go on forever.

Despite that being the last day of the year, Archie was sitting on the couch and had no intention of moving. _Man, I'm really getting old, aren't I?_

He was watching one of those tv programs that people would watch at the end of the year instead of going out. The ones that even made the countdown to midnight.

Archie looked at the clock above the tv. _It's not long until then, now_.

In that moment, Maxie entered in the living room.

"Hey, Max. Wanna spend the last moments of the year with me?" Archie really didn't like tha atmosphere that had created those last days. He knew that trying to kiss Maxie would be risky, but he had felt like the moment was good, and that his feelings were reciprocated. But maybe he had misunderstood. Still, he was trying to get things back to normal as much as possible. He just hoped that Maxie would be fine with that.

To his surprise - and delight - Maxie nodded, and sat on the couch. Even if he was as far as he could, Archie still counted it as a victory.

"What are you watching?" he asked him.

Archie shrugged. "Eh, you know those things old folks watch at the end of the year. They're doing music numbers now."

He smirked when he heard Maxie mutter: _'I'm not old'_. Maybe things would be okay after all.

The program wasn't even that good; it was full of performers that were either too young or too old to be there, the music wasn't what he liked, and the host wouldn't stop making bad jokes, but Maxie had started to talk to him again, so he wouldn't complain.

"Someone honestly thought it would be a good idea," was saying Maxie. "Of course, let's make two people that absolutely can't stand each other perform together, surely nothing will go wrong."

Archie just watched the two singers being dragged off the stage, while the host was trying to make sure the program kept at least a resemblance of professionality.

After a while, he felt Maxie fidget on the opposite end of the couch. With the corner of the eye, he saw him move closer, just to the middle of the couch, but didn't say anything.

"So... any projects for the new year?" asked Maxie after a while.

Archie looked at him but Maxie kept his gaze on the tv, apparently disinterested on the conversation. "I haven't really thought about it. The same everyone has, I guess; learn a new language, stop procrastinating. Things like that."

Maxie hummed and nodded slightly.

"What about you?" asked Archie carefully. That was why he asked him that, right? To keep the conversation going where he wanted it to go. Maxie wasn't one for small talk after all.

He glanced at him for a second. "Well... there are some things I'd like to improve. For example, a great thing would be to improve my interpersonal relationships. I have read an article about how they are important for physical and emotional happiness, while also giving a sense of purpose in life."

Now, Archie didn't consider himself as the smartest man alive, but he could take hints. And for once, he felt magnanimous and decided to help Maxie instead of working against him.

"So you want to get closer with some people? Is that what you mean?"

Maxie looked at him sideways and pursed his lips. _Bingo_. "I guess you could put it like that," he said after a while.

"And do you have something in mind? To achieve that, I mean."

Maxie was switching his gaze between him and the tv, rubbing his hands together. But when Archie smiled at him, he seemed to decide. "Well... you know what they say about the New Year's kiss."

Archie had to hold back a laughter; he had never seen Maxie so nervous. "Nope, what do they say?" he teased.

Despite everything, Maxie still had the energy to glare at him. "They say, you know, that it sets the tone for the rest of the year, and that it strenghten the ties with-"

"Max, you're rambling."

The countdown had started.

"Right."

Archie turned towards him. "And? What are you trying to tell me?"

But Maxie didn't feel like playing anymore. Just as the countdown came to zero, he grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss. Archie was quick to return the action, as the fireworks on the tv were set off. He passed an arm around Maxie's shoulders and pulled him closer, trying to make that moment last as much as possible. When they parted, Archie looked at him and smiled.

"Trying to be subtle really isn't your thing."

"Whatever," Maxie muttered. He fixed his glasses. "Happy New Year, anyway."

"Yeah, you too, nerd," Archie released him. "And you could really work on your comunication skills. You gave me a scare ignoring me like that."

"We just kissed and you already start criticizing me?" he smirked. "And I still have... about four days to practice, anyway. What do you say about that?"

"Sounds good to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It didn't come out exactly how I wanted it to be, but I still hope you enjoyed it.


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